Fishing is giving me anxiety

[Luke Barnes]

I know it's supposed to do the opposite. No life story but ive been laid off since May, had a baby, our third, havent gotten to fish much, the weather is getting cold, ive been striking out lately and I finally get the chance to go again tomorrow. I am trying a new pond because ive baat all the others to death and need something new. I was diagnosed with PTSD when I got out of the US Army in 2010. 27 months in Iraq took its toll, and fishing is the single best therapy for me. I am so worried I'm going to get skunked tomorrow it's causing me anxiety. I am not the person who says. I just like being outdoors and wetting a line. I love to catch fish! If I don't, yeah I got out of the house and got some air. I can do that going for a walk. I know you dont catch every time you fish. I know buying every lure under the sun won't catch you a fish. But I'm so torn what to throw at this new pond its driving me nuts! It's not huge, maybe 2-3 acres. No idea depth or what the bottom of vegetation looks like. Ive been trying to cut down on the amount of combos I take when I bank fish, which is 98% of the time, but I want to be covered. I found when I take too many I stay in one area too long trying different techniques instead of moving to a new spot that may hold fish. 

 

So all in all, take a bunch and force myself to move? Take less and work them more thoroughly?  For sure two spinning with a Ned rig and wacky rig are coming. For casting I thought about soft swimbait on an underspin, big jig, little jig, jackhammer, lipless, jerk bait, bigger line through soft swimbait, T-rig, pr whatever else comes to mind before then. I'm literally driving myself nuts worrying about fishing tomorrow and I dont like it. 

[plawren53202]

Hey man, I really feel for you and your post hit a nerve with me. I'm going through a rough time myself, wife recently filed for separation, financial troubles that led to it, yada yada yada. So fishing for me is not "just a hobby" at this point in time, it really is something I heavily depend on to get a little peace and distraction in my life. So if I go and don't do any good, I have a tough time getting into the mindset of "just enjoy being outdoors." Plus it doesn't help that I am very competitive, with myself, when it comes to my hobbies. I study the greats a lot and measure myself against them. So even when I'm just fun fishing, I'm still basically fishing a tournament against myself. Also like to practice at tournament speed for the real ones.

 

I think you're thinking on the right track, but I would actually steer toward keeping the combos. On the ponds I fish, they're not huge and I know the fish are in there somewhere even if I'm not catching them that day. So on those days, I really slow it down and try lots of different presentations, different speed presentations, different location in the water column, different colors, and so on. And I usually have just a couple of hours tops to pond fish around town, so I don't want to spend a lot of time retying. It may be silly but I will take up to 6 combos with me to a pond (e.g., yesterday, jerkbait combo, lipless combo, jig combo, Ned rig combo, small swimbait combo, and drop shot combo).

 

Totally different than where I lake fish in the boat, where if one pattern or bite isn't working, I can just run to a different one (like from backs of creeks to main lake points). There's only 2 or 3 "patterns," tops, in the ponds I fish. And the fish have to be in there somewhere. Of course, there are some days where because of weather conditions or other factors they just aren't biting, period. I don't resign well to that fact, and I'm going to make sure I get super surgical about it and try everything possible before I resign to that conclusion. Yesterday was one of those days. 

 

Here's one good part about it...I think that fishing this surgical level of dissecting spots is something a lot of boat fishermen don't do because it's too easy to just run around the lake. I've heard kayak anglers talk about this same thing, how they have to learn to really dissect a spot rather than just keep running somewhere new. I think it's really good to have both skills, dissecting one spot if needed, or knowing when to pull the trolling motor up and run and gun from spot to spot. 

[roadwarrior]

Hmm...

I generally take duplicates of just two lures on any given morning at my local ponds.

Today I fished a Swim Jig/ Rage Structure Bug trailer and a 1/2 oz Siebert Outdoors

jig/ Rage Craw. Yesterday it was a Jackhammer/ Zako. My suggestion is to pick your

poison and fish it like you stole it. 

 

[Luke Barnes]

3 minutes ago, plawren53202 said:

Hey man, I really feel for you and your post hit a nerve with me. I'm going through a rough time myself, wife recently filed for separation, financial troubles that led to it, yada yada yada. So fishing for me is not "just a hobby" at this point in time, it really is something I heavily depend on to get a little peace and distraction in my life. So if I go and don't do any good, I have a tough time getting into the mindset of "just enjoy being outdoors." Plus it doesn't help that I am very competitive, with myself, when it comes to my hobbies. I study the greats a lot and measure myself against them. So even when I'm just fun fishing, I'm still basically fishing a tournament against myself. Also like to practice at tournament speed for the real ones.

 

I think you're thinking on the right track, but I would actually steer toward keeping the combos. On the ponds I fish, they're not huge and I know the fish are in there somewhere even if I'm not catching them that day. So on those days, I really slow it down and try lots of different presentations, different speed presentations, different location in the water column, different colors, and so on. And I usually have just a couple of hours tops to pond fish around town, so I don't want to spend a lot of time retying. It may be silly but I will take up to 6 combos with me to a pond (e.g., yesterday, jerkbait combo, lipless combo, jig combo, Ned rig combo, small swimbait combo, and drop shot combo).

 

Totally different than where I lake fish in the boat, where if one pattern or bite isn't working, I can just run to a different one (like from backs of creeks to main lake points). There's only 2 or 3 "patterns," tops, in the ponds I fish. And the fish have to be in there somewhere. Of course, there are some days where because of weather conditions or other factors they just aren't biting, period. I don't resign well to that fact, and I'm going to make sure I get super surgical about it and try everything possible before I resign to that conclusion. Yesterday was one of those days. 

 

Here's one good part about it...I think that fishing this surgical level of dissecting spots is something a lot of boat fishermen don't do because it's too easy to just run around the lake. I've heard kayak anglers talk about this same thing, how they have to learn to really dissect a spot rather than just keep running somewhere new. I think it's really good to have both skills, dissecting one spot if needed, or knowing when to pull the trolling motor up and run and gun from spot to spot. 

I am sorry to hear that. I know the pain, this time last year my wife moved out and it was my fault why she did. But in the end we worked it out and she is back home. Funny enough I got her pregnant with our third a few weeks after she moved out so it made it even more weird. 

 

But I agree, I fish to catch fish and feel disappointed if I don't. I bought specific setups for certain techniques so I don't have to retie either!!! It's nothing to take six combos, but then I sit on one bank for the whole time dissecting it, but I dont always catch fish and then i think I should have moved and maybe another spot would have produced. I beat myself up pretty bad for a day or two after on times like that.

3 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Hmm...

I generally take duplicates of just two lures on any given morning at my local ponds.

Today I fished a Swim Jig/ Rage Structure Bug trailer and a 1/2 oz Siebert Outdoors

jig/ Rage Craw. Yesterday it was a Jackhammer/ Zako. My suggestion is to pick your

poison and fish it like you stole it. 

 

I was thinking about that. Taking 2-3 rods and fish those lures around the whole pond. No bite on them, move. But again if I do and dont catch, I beat myself up saying I should have worked a certain spot more and tried something else. I'm bad about not switching colors too. I just cant find a rhythm that works for me and it frustrates me to no end. 

[roadwarrior]

Well, try something different, maybe my way a day or two. In the summer I might fish

nothing but a Senko and Fat Ika every day!  For variety I might throw in a jig, Structure

Bug or Cut-R. Another day Space Monkey and a Kut-Tail. But whatever I chose, I am

only fishing a couple of baits. There is no confusion or second guessing, there's always

tomorrow.

[MassYak85]

I sometimes feel I put too much pressure on myself to catch fish. It's tough to wind up (gameplan, research seasonal patterns, study your lake map, get up way earlier than you'd like to) and just completely WHIFF on a full day on the water. It's easy to go home feeling like you failed, or just being confused what you did wrong, and then you start second guessing yourself or worse, lose confidence in some of your staple baits. Now sure, sometimes you hit a home run and everything lines up just the way you dreamed it up and all is good. But it usually doesn't go that way. At the worst point for me I would almost feel like I was wasting time by even going. IMO there's a delicate balance between analyzing your fishing and reflecting on what you can do to improve, and just letting a day go as "the bite was off today, it happens, move on".

[Luke Barnes]

18 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Well, try something different, maybe my way a day or two. In the summer I might fish

nothing but a Senko and Fat Ika every day!  For variety I might throw in a jig, Structure

Bug or Cut-R. Another day Space Monkey and a Kut-Tail. But whatever I chose, I am

only fishing a couple of baits. There is no confusion or second guessing, there's always

tomorrow.

But for me, tomorrow night be two weeks from now. Weather depending even longer. In the best circumstance I get to fish once a week. So if I whiff I dont get to take a crack the next day. I mull on it for a week or more. 

[Fishlegs]

Thank you for your service. I usually take 3 rods when I go to a similar size pond, and focus on those. Even if I don't catch much I try to think of it as a learning experience for next time. I hope your trip to the new pond turns out to be a great, relaxing experience.

[TnRiver46]

When fishing is tough, I use a weightless plastic worm . They like to bite it when it’s slowly sinking, just watch for the line to take off. What part of the country and what water color are you dealing with? Junebug is a good color worm for me in any water. Another option is explore different spots? If I’m bank fishing, i try to get below a dam 

[Luke Barnes]

2 minutes ago, MassYak85 said:

I sometimes feel I put too much pressure on myself to catch fish. It's tough to wind up (gameplan, research seasonal patterns, study your lake map, get up way earlier than you'd like to) and just completely WHIFF on a full day on the water. It's easy to go home feeling like you failed, or just being confused what you did wrong, and then you start second guessing yourself or worse, lose confidence in some of your staple baits. Now sure, sometimes you hit a home run and everything lines up just the way you dreamed it up and all is good. But it usually doesn't go that way. At the worst point for me I would almost feel like I was wasting time by even going. IMO there's a delicate balance between analyzing your fishing and reflecting on what you can do to improve, and just letting a day go as "the bite was off today, it happens, move on".

Totally. Thanks to the Army I have a bad back and knees, so its sometimes a painful event but I still do it. So to come home without a catch makes me feel like I wasted my time. 

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

When fishing is tough, I use a weightless plastic worm . They like to bite it when it’s slowly sinking, just watch for the line to take off. What part of the country and what water color are you dealing with? Junebug is a good color worm for me in any water. Another option is explore different spots? If I’m bank fishing, i try to get below a dam 

Im in northeast Oklahoma. Its a pond so now below the dam spot to fish. I'll explore the whole pond definitely. No idea what the color of water will be even, ive never even been to the pond let alone fished it. I found it on google earth! I like junebug and have had success with it. Also black and blue. 

[TnRiver46]

12 minutes ago, Luke Barnes said:

Totally. Thanks to the Army I have a bad back and knees, so its sometimes a painful event but I still do it. So to come home without a catch makes me feel like I wasted my time. 

Im in northeast Oklahoma. Its a pond so now below the dam spot to fish. I'll explore the whole pond definitely. No idea what the color of water will be even, ive never even been to the pond let alone fished it. I found it on google earth! I like junebug and have had success with it. Also black and blue. 

Oh ok, I gotcha. Who knows what you might run into there haha! Best of luck, a small soft plastic on a jig head and an in-line spinner might be good to have as well 

[Sphynx]

Coming from a guy who did 27 months in Afghanistan in a line platoon and has seen just what PTSD can do to people close to me, just remember that you are never alone, and somebody out there does care, even if it's just some idiot from the fishing forum.

 

As far as your bank fishing difficulties, I like to break down the water into 3 basic levels, you have your top, your bottom, and everything in between. I will usually bring something to cover all three of those levels based on the time of year, frog summer, walking bait or popper in the spring, lipless in the winter, squarebill in the fall, etc, in addition I bring a finesse option of some sort, usually a ned rig, or finesse jigs, something like that, and I simplify my colors to 2 choices, clear water, and anything else, usually this means some kind of green pumpkin/natural color, and something black and blue/bold color, I don't take a skunk very often, may not always catch monsters, but I catch fish most of the time, don't rush to pitch something in the water when you show up, look for the low hanging fruit, obvious places fish hang out, and catch a "warmup" fish, it's amazing how much better a day is when you get the skunk off the boat/bank with you, even if it's just the one fish,  might also help to set time limits, 30 minutes on a topwater, if nothing is biting try something else, 30 minutes etc, you stay anywhere more than an hour or so and haven't got bit, change it up, grab your searchbait of choice and run and gun until you get bit, I'm willing to bet either a soft plastic swimbait or a lipless would serve you fantastically this time of year, whichever you feel most comfortable throwing in a new pond, nothing wrong with putting it down and tossing a ned rig at a lay down, rock pile, or other no brainer spot as you pass either, the high percentage spots are nearly always worth the effort, that is why they are high percentage spots after all. 

[newriverfisherman1953]

Sounds like you need to give yourself a little break and not expect so much from a fishing trip each and every time.  Fish or no fish I enjoy my time out. At least you will learn about this pond for future trips. Thanks for your service. 

[Cgolf]

1 hour ago, Luke Barnes said:

I was thinking about that. Taking 2-3 rods and fish those lures around the whole pond. No bite on them, move. But again if I do and dont catch, I beat myself up saying I should have worked a certain spot more and tried something else. I'm bad about not switching colors too. I just cant find a rhythm that works for me and it frustrates me to no end. 

 

I can't exactly tell you the magic, bait, but I can relate to having a competitive streak, with myself, my wife, another boat I can see off in the distance etc. Early this fall I did a 4 day trip up north and got my a$$ handed to me by a warm front that shut the system down. I kept my chin up enjoyed trying different stuff and was content to go home with a bad trip, just knowing I enjoyed the time on the water. Due to us being the last ones in the cabin for the year they let us leave late the last day, and I got in one more morning trip and I put the bite together remembering that a warm front in the fall equaled a cold front in the spring/summer and had a very good bonus hour of fishing. In that one trip all the frustration was gone and I was stoked. 

 

The days I have struggled are the days I learned the most. The days I catch them on every cast are fun but I don't learn a thing. All the hits I did get along with the warm front info led me to tying on the spinnerbait and having a great last morning. That trip reminded me why I fish, it isn't about numbers, it is to learn so I am better next time out. Don't know if this helps or not.

 

If I had a lure for a pressured water like a pond it would be a ned rig, spinnerbait, or even a 2" twister tail. A 2" twister tail caught me a whopper as a kid in a Florida pond when we were on vacation, will never forget that hit.

[jimmyjoe]

27 minutes ago, Sphynx said:

just remember that you are never alone, and somebody out there does care, even if it's just some idiot from the fishing forum.

 

   Amen!   ?

 

   I fish lures with a constant retrieve. I found out that helps. If I deadstick, I get antsy. If I pick a target and cast over it, trying to control the lure to come in at a certain depth and speed, my mind is involved with that and not building up tension. It helps ..... a lot.

   As for catching fish .......  yes, you'll get fish. You'll have to learn to do what the people here call "power fishing", but you'll catch fish. The biggest difference is the number of lures you'll lose to snags.  ☹️

   So the difference isn't in catching fish, it's in occupying your mind. Everything else just falls into place.  

   Good luck and God bless, and come on back and talk to us often!     jj

[plawren53202]

2 hours ago, Luke Barnes said:

 It's nothing to take six combos, but then I sit on one bank for the whole time dissecting it, but I dont always catch fish and then i think I should have moved and maybe another spot would have produced. I beat myself up pretty bad for a day or two after on times like that.

I was thinking about that. Taking 2-3 rods and fish those lures around the whole pond. No bite on them, move. But again if I do and dont catch, I beat myself up saying I should have worked a certain spot more and tried something else. I'm bad about not switching colors too. I just cant find a rhythm that works for me and it frustrates me to no end. 

The most frustrating thing for me is getting that first or second bite. If I can get one or two bites, then I can start to put together a pattern, and then the bites seem to come much more easily. Pay super close attention all the time, because you need to glean as much info as possible from the first bite or two...what was I doing, how was I moving the bait, how deep do I estimate it was where the bite happened, was it on the fall or while retrieving, all that kind of info.

 

I won't sit in one spot too long until I get that first bite or two. Until the first bite, I will move all around the pond, trying a couple different baits in each spot. Maybe a moving bait and a bottom bait in each spot. No bites after 20-30 minutes, then move to a different spot. That's why I like having several combos at my disposal, so no retying. In colder water (now), maybe a jerkbait and a Ned rig in the first spot, no bites, then maybe a lipless or a swimbait and then a drop shot in the second spot. And so on.

 

Finally, the key for me on ponds is noticing tiny little details that may be where fish are holding. Especially, the less features in a pond, the tinier the details may be (and my subdivision pond for instance is a nearly featureless bowl, so I really have to pay attention to the most minute details). Things like one football size rock that I feel with a jig bouncing the bottom that is mainly mud, or the slightest change in contour where a gradual slope drops off just slightly quicker for a foot or two. This is what I mean when I say "dissect" a pond. Now, if I find that one football size rock, and I don't get a bite in 20-30 minutes using a couple of different baits, then I move on. 

 

The good thing is, in a small pond, when I do manage to put together a pattern, it seems like nearly all the fish in that pond will be on that pattern that day. But there are days, like yesterday, where you just never get that first bite or two even after a couple of hours of working hard at it. Those are the days I go home mad and feeling like I lost the competition with just myself LOL.

[Luke Barnes]

Thanks for the replies everyone and also for the support. 

 

This year I got so caught up on chatterbaits I forgot about a spinnerbait. Im going to tie one of those on for sure. I have a Ned Rig dedicated setup that always has a Ned on it so that will be one. I think a soft swimbait and a small finesse jig too??? Its either a small jig or a Wacky rig. No idea on the weediness. 

 

I do need to give myself a break and just relax and fish but I'm always so wound right its hard without that rush of excitement when I get one on the line. I'm working on it though. 

[BlakeMolone]

So I’ve learned to take a little bit of everything so that I can adjust to the conditions accordingly. I will leave almost everything in my car and only walk with one setup but it’s nice to have everything I might need close by. There have been too many times where I have only brought a few baits because I thought the water clarity would be what it was the last time but it had changed and I was unprepared even though I have just about everything I could ever need at home. No I get out of the car, look at the water, and decide what I want to start with and bring a few back ups and a few other options and just start fishing hard. If that doesn’t work out just go back to the car and try something else!

[GreenPig]

Thank you for your service Luke. I'm glad you're here with us. I stop and take a pic of the sunrise on every trip and remember just how lucky I'am to be able to fish. On new water I always start fast and slow down until the fish cooperate. Goodluck. 

[Koz]

Anxiety can be brutal and can be hard for those to understand who have not faced it. So my advice to you is that when fishing it might be best to try and find ways to reduce the potential for anxiety. So I would not bring a ton of rods and a ton of gear because you may cast one bait and instead of focusing you're thinking you should have thrown something else.

 

So for this time of year and going to a new pond I would bring your favorite all purpose rod and setup and bring a ned rig, stick worm, spinnerbait, and a chatterbait with your favorite trailer. That's it.

 

You still have a lot of options. You can fish the stick worm t-rigged or wacky rigged. You can throw a straight spinnerbait or put a big grub or paddletail trailer on it. You can fish the chatterbait straight, yo yo retrieve (great in colder months), lift and drop, or drag it along the bottom.

 

One rod, plenty of options, but not overwhelming. One rod also makes it easier to cover a lot of ground. I prefer to fish and keep moving along the bank as if I was in a boat with a trolling motor and I occasionally "anchor" and work that one spot.

[DitchPanda]

My girlfriend has bad anxiety and it is painful to watch her struggle with the fear and decision making. Also I realize thru seeing this its not easy to understand as a person who doesn't have anxiety or panic attacks. I will say in regards to fishing tho you gotta learn to enjoy the process and the challenge or it gets hard to even want to go over time. I know its easier said than done but try to remember that your choosing to do this for fun and recreation so try not to be so hard on yourself. We all know there are much worse things then not catching a fish...just try to remember that.

[Boomstick]

Sorry to hear about the PTSD, that's rough.

 

As far as bank fishing, I usually limit myself to three rods, and often I'm not too far from the truck if I need to go back and switch lures. If I am further away what I will do is load up a small tackle box with lures that I think I might use. A 3640 or 3650 with the larger compartment in the right side should do the truck. If you have some idea where you're fishing and what the conditions are then bring what works and maybe a couple new things you haven't tried yet and if you have no idea just wing it and see what you can learn and don't even worry about catching fish that day just focus on what you can learn about the lake and spot and time of year, etc.

 

The three rods that will cover most ground shore fishing are a ML/XF or M/F spinning rod for finesse, a M+/F casting rod, ideally with a slightly more moderate fast tip which can handle squarebills in a pinch, and a MH/F rod. Should there be some lily pads or heavy weeds, I might leave the spinning rod at home and take a H/F rod to throw a frog. I usually opt for T-Rigs or wacky rigs over jigs from the shore as well - it's just easier.

 

One thing that you can do is look at lures you are throwing on one rod that can be thrown on a different rod. One thing that I can think of is instead of throwing a wacky rig on a spinning rod (which works), you could throw it on a rod like a M/F casting rod, or a MH/F casting rod. The way I like to fish wacky rigs the best is a tactic I learned from @Glenn in this video posted here which involves putting it on a jig head, which puts the hook off the bottom slightly and lets the worm wobble around, sort of like a dropshot but closer to the bottom. I usually use the Strike King Squadron jig heads, but you can experiment with different jig heads. This means can throw a 1/16 or 1/8oz on a medium rod, of a 1/4 or 3/8oz on a medium heavy.

 

When it comes to paddle tail swimbaits with or without an underspin, you kind of have to experiment. You can try throwing a spinnerbait and see if that works. If you are getting short strikes, try a paddletail swimbait, and if that doesn't produce, try adding an underspin etc.

[CountryboyinDC]

A couple of the charities I volunteer for cater to people whose main problem usually is, even if they're multiple amputees, PTSD.  The goal of all of these organizations is to reduce some of the symptoms through fishing, other outdoor endeavors, and comradeship, not increase them.  I'm sorry that you're finding that fishing increases your anxiety. 

I don't know how active or helpful the Tulsa chapter is, but Heros on the Water usually caters to veterans that are going through similar things as you are.  You might find that the other aspects of their events take your mind off those skunk days.

Project Healing Waters is another group I've volunteered for, and their focus is on fly fishing (for trout where I am).  Their events are much less broadcast and usually smaller, so if that seems like it may be your medicine, a Trout Unlimited chapter may be a good place to find out more.

Regardless, make sure that things don't get out of control before you reach out for help.  I know that many have told me that the guys they serve with turn their backs on them when they know they're struggling, which just plain sucks.  Let the people who care about you help.

[Darth-Baiter]

When fishing is tough I bring one rod. Makes me feel like I’m getting back to basics like I did as a kid. Especially bank fishing.  
 

I like to rig a z-man finesse Texas style with a pegged worm hook.  It kinda acts like a Ned jig, but rarely snags and I can whip it far. 

[Luke Barnes]

3 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

My girlfriend has bad anxiety and it is painful to watch her struggle with the fear and decision making. Also I realize thru seeing this its not easy to understand as a person who doesn't have anxiety or panic attacks. I will say in regards to fishing tho you gotta learn to enjoy the process and the challenge or it gets hard to even want to go over time. I know its easier said than done but try to remember that your choosing to do this for fun and recreation so try not to be so hard on yourself. We all know there are much worse things then not catching a fish...just try to remember that.

You nailed it on the head. Its decision making. Thank you. I was reading and thought this is it!!!! I'm a bait monkey victim and the person I am, I bought a giant tackle backpack from Bass Pro and I bring everything with me. Weighs atleast 40lbs. I need to weigh my tackle backpack. But deciding is so hard, and if I dont catch I question my decisions for days.

 

I guess this thread isn't so much about what to throw where and when. Its my personal emotions of fishing. I will admit I'm obsessed. My wife will agree! I dont know how or why fishing became a mental game for me. I only started fishing four years ago. Or was it three. Either way not too long ago. Besides glide baits and huge swimbaits, if you name it I have it. But its not a sport of tackle variety. 

 

I'm sorry I am letting this out here. I just am probably overly obsesed to the point it ruins my week when I dont catch something. I should feel so privileged to have these problems.